Food storage bag

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a system for forming a bag. The bag includes a first portion, a second portion having a series of plurality of accordion folds and a third portion having a base to support the bag. The series of plurality of accordion folds allow variations in the length of the second portion and the base provides the closing to the bag to hold food to be packed inside the bag. The second portion is positioned between the first portion and the third portion. The series of plurality of accordion folds of the second portion allows the bag to transition from an expanded state to a contracted state and the contracted state to the expanded state.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging of fast foods and inparticular, relates to convenient holding of fast foods.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Most of the people consume fast foods such as hamburgers, beef burgers,sandwiches and the like on daily basis. Many fast food outlets such asMcDonald's, Subway, KFC and the like provide such fast foods toconsumers in packaging such as paper bags, cardboard boxes and the like.Fast foods, such as sandwiches, hamburgers and the like, create messwhile eating due to stuffing, remnants and morsels falling from suchfood items. Packaging is needed to prevent consumer's clothing, vehicleand surroundings from such mess. Moreover, packaging improvespresentation of such food items. In addition, packaging is needed toenable consumers to eat the food without contaminating the same bytouching with bare hands. Further, packaging provides convenience andportability to take away fast food items to eat at home or while ontravel.

Nowadays, consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the need totake care of hygiene. Although many health authorities recommend washingof one's hands before eating, but this may not always be possible. Thus,to meet the various hygiene concerns, food holders have been proposed.The food holders are needed by fast food vendors to present the itembeing sold to the consumer in a clean and attractive manner.

The consumers may want to eat such food items while sitting in the car.However, with the available packaging, fluids, morsels and topplingfoods spill on the clothes and vehicle's interior, causing untidysurroundings. Moreover, many consumers such as workers and the like havelittle time to wash their hands before eating. Such consumers may haveto consume the fast food with dirty hands, resulting in consumption ofunhygienic food. Thus, packaging should be provided to easily handlesuch fast foods, without contaminating the food due to exposure to dirtyhands and surroundings.

There are a few patents/patent applications/non patent literatures whichprovide a method and system for packaging of fast food. For example, inthe EP 2574570 A1, a method for flexible packaging with built-intamper-evidence features is provided. A flexible packaging laminate hasbuilt-in opening/reclose and tamper-evidence features. Moreover, outerstructure is joined in face-to-face relation to an inner structure. Inaddition, score lines are formed in both structures to enable an openingto be formed through the laminate by lifting a flap or the like out ofthe plane of the laminate. The score line through the outer structuredefines a larger opening than the score line through the innerstructure, such that a marginal region of the outer structure extendsbeyond the edge of the opening portion of the inner structure. Further,a pressure-sensitive adhesive re-adheres the marginal region to anunderlying surface of the inner structure adjacent the opening throughthe laminate. Furthermore, the outer score line includes at least onetear portion, torn through upon initial opening. However, the statedpatent and its related literature do not teach regarding the easyaccessing and hygienic packaging. In addition, the prior art does nottell about managing of toppling foods.

In another application US 20130295241 A1, a system and method ofpackaging for versatile storage solution is provided. The givenapplication provides improved form of packaging for fast foods such ashamburgers, pizzas, French-fries, and the like. In addition, the givenapplication provides improved dispensing of fast foods. However, thestated patent and its related literature do not teach regarding the easyaccessing and hygienic packaging. In addition, the prior art does nottell about managing of toppling foods.

In yet another application, U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,121 B1, a system andmethod for packaging is provided. The given application providespackaging to hold fast foods and expose only bite-sized portions to beeaten. In addition, the given application provides space to act as atrough for catching morsels, spills, drips, and run-offs from vegetablesand condiments. However, the prior art does not teach regarding the easyaccessing and handling of fast foods for eating while walking ortravelling.

In yet another application, WO2001034003 A1, a food holder having aflexible strip is provided. The given application provides afood-serving holder to consume food products. More particularly, thegiven application provides a hygienic holder allowing a consumer tocomfortably eat a food product while avoiding hand contact with saidfood. The stated holder covers a large portion of the food item and yetallows mouth access to the whole article, thus avoids the need for handcontact. However, the prior art does not tell about managing of topplingfoods for eating while walking or travelling in a vehicle.

In yet another application, U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,752 A, a holder forhamburgers and the like is provided. The main objective of the givenapplication is to provide a simple to use holder, which permitsconsumption of fast food without considerable risk of contamination. Thestated holder can be produced at low costs and can be disposed afteruse. However, the prior art does not tell about managing of topplingfoods for eating while walking or travelling in a vehicle.

In light of the above stated discussion, packaging is needed to preventfast foods from coming in contact with hands or being in exposure tosurroundings. Moreover, the food item must not spill or drip frompackaging. In addition, the fast food item must remain hot, as requiredfor some food items. Further, the packaging should provide easyaccessing of food item by consumer and easy putting down of food item inthe package by the shopkeeper or seller.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has greatest and most diverse application in the creationof a new range of food packaging and food storage clamshell dispensingcontainers, which can provide a more effective and suitable means toserve takeaway hot or cold fast food. The system and method of thecurrent invention can be implemented in diverse ways to suit the natureof the food being packaged such that food can be more easily extractedfrom the packaging while minimizing waste as well as addressing issuesof insulation in the instance that the packaging is used for hot foodssuch as hamburgers and pizzas.

The present invention provides a system for forming a bag. The bagincludes a first portion, a second portion having a series of pluralityof accordion folds and a third portion having a base to support the bag.The series of plurality of accordion folds allow variations in thelength of the second portion and the base provides the closing to thebag to hold food to be packed inside the bag. The second portion ispositioned between the first portion and the third portion. The seriesof plurality of accordion folds of the second portion allows the bag totransition from an expanded state to a contracted state and thecontracted state to the expanded state.

In embodiments of the present invention, the width of the first portionand width of the third portion is more than the width of the secondportion. In addition, accordion folds of the second portion include aseries of evenly spaced and parallel plates with alternating raised andrecessed folds. Further, in an embodiment, length of the second portiondecreases when subsets of the series of plurality of accordion folds getcontracted. In another embodiment, length of the second portiondecreases when the series of plurality of accordion folds get contractedin same ratio. In yet another embodiment, length of the second portiondecreases when the series of plurality of accordion folds get contractedin different ratio.

In embodiments of the present invention, the contraction of the secondportion of the bag is simultaneous to the consumption of the food packedinside the bag. The series of plurality of accordion folds getcontracted in a direction of the alignment of the first portion and thesecond portion. The series of plurality of accordion folds varies thevolume of the bag and facilitate insertion and consumption of foodpacked inside the bag.

In embodiments of the present invention, the bag further includes anouter layer and an inner layer. The outer layer of the bag acts as aninterface for a consumer to hold and is the visible surface of the bagand visually manipulated to enhance the look and feel of the packagingand the inner layer is an interior region of the bag and is not visibleto the person holding the bag. Further, the design of the bag provideswide portions in the bag to catch various toppling foods.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a system for forming abag, the bag. The bag includes a first portion, a second portion havinga plurality of accordion folds and a third portion having a base tosupport the bag. The series of plurality of accordion folds allowvariations in the length of the second portion. The plurality of theaccordion folds of the second portion comprises a series of evenlyspaced and parallel plates with alternating raised and recessed foldsand width of the first portion and width of the third portion is morethan the width of the second portion. The base provides the closing tothe bag to hold food to be packed inside the bag. Moreover, the secondportion is positioned between the first portion and the third portion.The series of plurality of accordion folds of the second portion allowsthe bag to transition from an expanded state to a contracted state andthe contracted state to the expanded state.

Further, in an embodiment, length of the second portion decreases whensubsets of the series of plurality of accordion folds get contracted. Inanother embodiment, length of the second portion decreases when theseries of plurality of accordion folds get contracted in same ratio. Inyet another embodiment, length of the second portion decreases when theseries of plurality of accordion folds get contracted in differentratio.

In embodiments of the present invention, the contraction of the secondportion of the bag is simultaneous to the consumption of the food packedinside the bag. The series of plurality of accordion folds getcontracted in a direction of the alignment of the first portion and thesecond portion. The series of plurality of accordion folds varies thevolume of the bag and facilitate insertion and consumption of foodpacked inside the bag.

In embodiments of the present invention, the bag further includes anouter layer and an inner layer. The outer layer of the bag acts as aninterface for a consumer to hold and is the visible surface of the bagand visually manipulated to enhance the look and feel of the packagingand the inner layer is an interior region of the bag and is not visibleto the person holding the bag. Further, the design of the bag provideswide portions in the bag to catch various toppling foods.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings, which disclose several key embodiments of theinvention. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings aredesigned for the purpose of illustration only and that the particulardescriptions of packaging applications according to differentembodiments of the invention are given by way of example only and do notlimit the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features of embodiments will be more readily understood byreference to the following detailed description, taken with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a bag used for holding and serving fast foods and thelike, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2A illustrates an expanded state of the bag, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2B illustrates a partially contracted state of the bag, inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a fully contracted view of the bag, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates cross section view of accordion folds of the bag, inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates different layers of the bag, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to some specific embodiments of theinvention including the best modes contemplated by the inventor forcarrying out the invention. Examples of these specific embodiments areillustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention isdescribed in conjunction with these specific embodiments, it will beunderstood that it is not intended to limit the invention to thedescribed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to coveralternatives, modifications, and equivalents as defined by the appendedclaims. The following description makes full reference to the detailedfeatures as outlined in the objects of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a bag 100, in accordance with various embodiments ofthe present invention. The bag 100 can be used for holding and servingfast foods including burgers, hamburgers, burritos, sandwiches and thelike. The bag 100 can be used by various fast food selling outlets suchas McDonald's, Subway, KFC, Starbucks, Burger king and the like to servefast foods to the customers. The bag 100 allows a person to eat the fastfood simultaneous to performing other activities including walking,travelling in a vehicle and the like. The bag 100 is designed in a wayto prevent spilling of toppling foods over the clothes or surroundings.

The bag 100 includes a first portion 102, a second portion 106 a thirdportion 104. The first portion 102 is the topmost portion of the bag100. The third portion 104 is the bottommost portion of the bag 100. Thesecond portion 106 is positioned between the first portion 102 and thethird portion 104. Moreover, the third portion 104 includes a base 108to support the bag 100. In addition, the base 108 provides the closingto the bag 100 to hold the fast foods inside the bag 100. Further, thefirst portion 102 includes an inlet 110. The inlet 110 is an opening toenter fast food in the bag 100. The inlet 110 shown in the FIG. 1 has anoval shape. In addition, the overall shape of the bag 100 iscylindrical. The width of the first portion 102 and the width of thethird portion 104 is more than the width of the second portion 106. Thelarger width of the first portion 102 and the third portion 104 ensuressmooth passage of fast foods in the bag 100. Moreover, the larger widthensures the eating of fast foods in neat and comfortable manner, withtoppling foods falling inside the bag 100.

It may be noted that the bag 100 shown in the FIG. 1 has an oval shapedinlet and overall cylindrical shape; however, those skilled in the artwould appreciate that there can be one or more shapes and sizes of thebag 100. In addition, the inlet 110 provided in the invention may beopen or close. The inlet 110 of the bag is in opened state when the twosides of the bag create a hollow opening to put the food in the bag 100.The two sides referred to are the outer visible surfaces, visible to aperson. The inlet 110 of the bag 100 is in closed state when the twosides of the bag 100 are attached together. Moreover, the closing of theinlet 110 may be provided using various options including zipper, seal,lock, Velcro, normal tearing portion and the like. In addition, someembodiments may provide two vertically perforated lines in both sides ofthe bag 100 to allow the creation of a separable portion by tearingalong said perforations. Further, the bag 100 may be of various typessuch as envelopes, boxes, carry bags with handle and the like.Furthermore, the bag 100 can be used to store various items, other thanfast foods, including grocery items, sports instruments, gadgets, andthe like.

FIG. 2A illustrates an expanded state of the bag 100, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present invention. The bag 100 is shown toenclose a food item 204. The food item 204 includes but may not belimited to burgers, hamburgers, burritos and sandwiches. The secondportion 106 of the bag 100 includes a series of horizontal creasescalled accordion folds 202. The accordion folds 202 are series of evenlyspaced and parallel pleats with alternating raised and recessed folds.The accordion folds 202 allow variations in the length of the secondportion 106. For example, for the sake of simplicity, the length of thesecond portion 106 may be considered as “1” in an expanded state of thesecond portion 106. In an embodiment, the length 1 may decrease whensome of the accordion folds 202 get contracted. In another embodiment,the length 1 may decrease when all the accordion folds 202 getcontracted in same ratio. In yet another embodiment, the length maydecrease when all the accordion folds 202 get contracted in differentratios.

The expanded state of the bag 100 is shown to have certain length whileaccommodating the food item 204; however, those skilled in the art wouldappreciate that the length of the bag 100 may vary with the size of thefood item 204. In addition, the bag 100 can be stretched to full lengthto accommodate large food item 204.

FIG. 2B illustrates a partially contracted state of the bag 100, inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention. The bag100 is shown to enclose a partially consumed food item 204. For example,a person may have eaten half of a burger. However, the bag 100 stillholds another half of the burger. The bag 100 is contracted in thedownward direction (shown by arrows 206) simultaneous to the consumptionof the food item 204. In the partially contracted state, the length ofthe second portion 106 decreases. For example, mathematically, thelength of the bag 100 decreases from 1 to 1-x. In addition, thepartially contracted state ensures eating of the food item 204 directlyfrom the bag 100 while preventing various toppling of the food item 204from falling outside the bag 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates a fully contracted view of the bag 100, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. The bag 100 shown in thegiven figure is empty and fully contracted. The accordion folds 202 inthe second portion 106 are contracted and overlapped one over another.The contraction decreases the length of the second portion 106 tominimum length. For example, mathematically, say the length of thesecond portion 106 contracts to y, where y<<1. The contractedconfiguration enables the bag 100 to be conveniently carried or kept forlater use.

It may be noted that the bag 100 shown in FIG. 3 has the second portion106 of length y; however, those skilled in the art would appreciate thatthe length of second portion may vary with the thickness of the materialused to make the bag. In addition, the length may vary with the numberof accordion folds 202, present in the second portion of the bag 100.

It may be noted that FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 show the state transition of thebag 100 from an expanded state to the contracted state; however, thoseskilled in the art would appreciate that the transition can take placein reverse manner. The bag 100 can be moved from the contracted state tothe expanded state.

FIG. 4 illustrates cross section of the accordion folds 202, inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention. Asmentioned above, in conjunction with the description of FIG. 2A, theaccordion folds 202 enables convenient handling of the food item 204,while eating, by contracting some of the accordion folds 202 in theportion of the consumed food item 204. The accordion folds 202 contractsin the direction of the alignment of the first portion 102 and thesecond portion 106. The purpose of the accordion folds 202 is toincrease the volume of the bag and facilitate insertion and consumptionof the food item 204.

The accordion folds 202 are shown to contract in downward direction;however, those skilled in the art would appreciate that the accordionfolds 202 can be expanded in the upward direction. In addition, theaccordion folds 202 can be used in various other items such as paperfans, decorative items and the like. In addition, the accordion folds202 ensure comfortable handling of the food item 204 while walking ortravelling.

FIG. 5 illustrates different layers of the bag 100, in accordance withvarious embodiments of the present invention. The structure of the bag100 is designed to meet the need of keeping the fast foods warm and easyto take away. The bag 100 has an outer layer 502 and an inner layer 504.The outer layer 502 of the bag 100 is made using sturdy paper material.The outer layer 502 acts as an interface for the consumer to hold thefood item 204. In addition, the outer layer 502 is the visible surfaceof the bag 100 and can be visually manipulated to enhance the look andfeel of the packaging. Further, the inner layer 504 of the bag 100 ismade up of foil lining to keep the contents of the bag 100 warm. Theinner layer 504 is an interior region of the bag 100 and is not visibleto the person holding the bag 100. Both the inner layer 504 and theouter layer 502 are aligned together using some adhesive and providestrength to the bag 100 to hold the food item 204.

It may be noted that every portion of the bag 100 is shown to be madefrom same material; however, those skilled in the art would appreciatethat different types of material can be used for making differentportions of the bag 100. Moreover, the bag 100 can be of various shapesand sizes. In addition, the accordion folds 202 can be used in manyapplications to make variations in sizes and volumes. Further, thedifferent varieties of the foil can be used as per the need and budgetfor packaging. Furthermore, the packaging can be enhanced usingdifferent methods to attract the customers. The various methods toenhance the packaging include but may not be limited to using variouscolors, icons and pictures. Alternatively, various advertisements,messages or machine-readable code may be printed on the bag 100.Moreover, the stated sturdy paper material may be replaced with someother material to suit the nature of the food being packed. In addition,the foil lining used for the inner layer 504 may be skipped for servingthe normal temperature food items and cold food items. Further, thedesign of the invention with accordion folds 202 may be used indifferent application areas, without using the stated material. Variouspackaging methods are known to exist for packaging and serving fastfoods but not all of them have carefully addressed all the issuesregarding the packaging. The present invention has focused upon issuesconcerning spilling of various toppling and stuffing present in the fastfoods. The toppling and stuffing include sauces, condiments and variousloose food elements present in the fast foods such as burgers,sandwiches, hamburgers and the like. When a person eat fast foods, withthe stated stuffing while sitting in the vehicle, the toppling andstuffing spill over the clothes and the surroundings, resulting in mess.The design of the bag 100 addresses the stated issue by providing wideportions in the bag 100 to catch the various toppling foods.

In addition, the invention provides lightweight, easy to manufacture andhygienic bag 100 to store fast foods. The lightweight bag 100 allowsfast foods to be taken away easily. Moreover, the bag 100 is made usingeasily available materials, available at low cost. Further, the hygienicpackaging, in form of the bag 100, keeps the food item 204, stored inthe bag 100, safe and consumable for longer times.

The present invention of a bag 100 with accordion folds 202 can beapplied across various application areas. Different embodiments arepossible with different styles of inlet 110 for entering fast foods inthe bag 100. The various possible styles of inlet 110 may include butmay not be limited to zipper locks, pasting locks, and the like. Someembodiment may provide the similar bag 100 with handle to hold the bag100. The handle can facilitate the carrying of packed food item 204.Further, various enhancements can be done to provide attractivepackaging and to facilitate handling of different types of fast foods.

As described above, the present disclosure of a new and innovativedesign for packaging for fast food has some useful, economic andfeatures which address concerns about food hygiene. The bag of thepresent disclosure is also used in labs to cover glassware and testtubes that needs to be shielded from the light. Moreover, the presentinvention is used in ice cream cones, amusement park food such as ribsor turkey legs, and the like.

It should be understood however, that the present disclosure is for thepurpose of illustration only and does not include all modifications orimprovements obvious to the man skilled in the art, such as thedifferences in relative dimensions of the design to accommodatedifferent content dimensions, which may fall within the scope of theappended claims.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to bemerely exemplary; numerous variations and modifications will be apparentto those skilled in the art. All such variations and modifications areintended to be within the scope of the present invention as defined inany appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for packaging forming a bag, said bagcomprising: a first portion; a second portion having a series ofplurality of accordion folds, wherein said series of plurality ofaccordion folds allow variations in the length of said second portion;and a third portion having a base to support said bag, wherein said baseprovides the closing to said bag to hold food to be packed inside saidbag, wherein said second portion is positioned between said firstportion and said third portion, and wherein said series of plurality ofaccordion folds of said second portion allows said bag to transitionfrom an expanded state to a contracted state and said contracted stateto said expanded state.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1, whereinwidth of said first portion and width of said third portion is more thansaid width of the second portion.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein said accordion folds of said second portion comprises a seriesof evenly spaced and parallel plates with alternating raised andrecessed folds.
 4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein length ofsaid second portion decreases when a subset of said series of pluralityof accordion folds get contracted.
 5. The system as recited in claim 3,wherein said length of said second portion decreases when said series ofplurality of accordion folds get contracted in same ratio.
 6. The systemas recited in claim 3, wherein said length of said second portiondecreases when said series of plurality of accordion folds getcontracted in different ratio.
 7. The system as recited in claim 3,wherein said contraction of said second portion of said bag issimultaneous to the consumption of the food packed inside said bag. 8.The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said series of plurality ofaccordion folds get contracted in a direction of the alignment of saidfirst portion and said second portion.
 9. The system as recited in claim1, wherein said series of plurality of accordion folds varies the volumeof said bag and facilitate insertion and consumption of food packedinside said bag.
 10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said bagfurther comprising: an outer layer, wherein said outer layer of said bagacts as an interface for a consumer to hold and is the visible surfaceof said bag and visually manipulated to enhance the look and feel of thepackaging; and an inner layer, wherein said inner layer is an interiorregion of the bag and is not visible to the person holding said bag. 11.The system as recited in claim 1, wherein design of said bag provideswide portions in said bag to catch various toppling foods.
 12. A systemfor packaging forming a bag, said bag comprising: a first portion; asecond portion having a plurality of accordion folds, wherein saidseries of plurality of accordion folds allow variations in the length ofsaid second portion, said plurality of said accordion folds of saidsecond portion comprises a series of evenly spaced and parallel plateswith alternating raised and recessed folds; and a third portion having abase to support said bag, wherein width of said first portion and widthof said third portion is more than said width of the second portion,wherein said base provides the closing to said bag to hold food to bepacked inside said bag, wherein said second portion is positionedbetween said first portion and said third portion, and wherein saidseries of plurality of accordion folds of said second portion allowssaid bag to transition from an expanded state to a contracted state andsaid contracted state to said expanded state.
 13. The system as recitedin claim 12, wherein length of said second portion decreases when asubset of said series of plurality of accordion folds get contracted.14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said length of saidsecond portion decreases when said series of plurality of accordionfolds get contracted in same ratio.
 15. The system as recited in claim12, wherein said length of said second portion decreases when saidseries of plurality of accordion folds get contracted in differentratio.
 16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said contractionof said second portion of said bag is simultaneous to the consumption ofthe food packed inside said bag.
 17. The system as recited in claim 12,wherein said series of plurality of accordion folds get contracted in adirection of the alignment of said first portion and said secondportion.
 18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said series ofplurality of accordion folds varies the volume of said bag andfacilitate insertion and consumption of food packed inside said bag. 19.The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said bag further comprising:an outer layer, wherein said outer layer of said bag acts as aninterface for a consumer to hold and is the visible surface of said bagand visually manipulated to enhance the look and feel of the packaging;and an inner layer, wherein said inner layer is an interior region ofthe bag and is not visible to the person holding said bag.